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Grand opening of curbing plant celebrated in Jay

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Surrounded by Polycor employees, Governor Paul LePage holds the ribbon so Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere can cut it.
Surrounded by Polycor employees, Governor Paul LePage holds the ribbon so Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere can cut it.

JAY – Local and state officials toured the new curbing plant at the Jay White Quarry Friday, in advance of a community grand opening event that will be held Saturday.

Gov. Paul LePage
Gov. Paul LePage

Polycor, Inc., a Quebec-based natural stone company, acquired the quarry in May 2015 from J.C. Stone of Jefferson. The $4 million project to reactivate the quarry and construct an approximately 10,000 square-foot curbing plant and office space was completed earlier this year. The quarry and plant combine to employ 15 people.

Blocks of granite from the quarry are brought into the plant and transported via a 35-ton crane into a saw machine that cuts the stone into slabs. Each slab is then fed through a splitter, basically an enormous hydraulic press that cuts off curbing in the desired size. According to Production Manager Troy Bonnevie, 6-by-18 inches and 5-by-16 inches are among the most popular orders. Diamond-toothed saws then trim either end of the curbing, with sledgehammers finishing the job.

In making his introductory remarks, Polycor Director of Operations Kevin Jack noted that the company had acquired and merged with Swenson Granite and Rock of Ages on Sept. 15. That merger creates the largest marble and granite production group in North America and the third largest worldwide, employing more than 800 people. The Jay plant, Jack said, would be operating under the name “Swenson Curbing by Polycor.”

Town Manager Shiloh q
Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere

Local and state officials attending the event included Gov. Paul LePage and Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere, both of whom were lauded by Jack and Ted Johnson, a consultant working with Polycor in Maine, for their efforts in helping the company reopen the quarry. Johnson also singled out members of the governor’s staff, the town of Jay and its Board of Selectpersons, Greater Franklin Development Council and the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments.

“It’s an honor to be here and it’s an honor to have you here,” LePage said of Polycor, noting the importance of a Canadian company investing in the state. “It’s going to be a great partnership.”

Johnson also thanked local economic development groups for assisting the company in applying for a grant to improve a road that accesses the quarry, and the local CareerCenter, which helped set up training sessions for new employees.

“Quarrying is a dying art,” Johnson noted. “To get quarriers and train them takes a lot.”

LaFreniere called it “amazing” that just 100 years ago, roughly 300 workers were employed by the Jay White Quarry, also known as the North Jay White Quarry.

As referenced by LaFreniere, Jay has a long history with quarries. Starting in the late 19th century, companies exported North Jay’s white granite across the country. Most famously, Jay granite was used for President Ulysses S. Grant’s tomb, located in Manhattan, N.Y.

Members of the community are being invited to tour the plant tomorrow from 10 a.m until 2 p.m. The plant is located at 16 Woodman Hill Road in Jay.

The new curbing plant accommodates large cranes to move the granite.
The new curbing plant accommodates large cranes to move the granite.
Brought in as large blocks from the Jay White Quarry, the primary saws cut them into slabs.
Brought in as large blocks from the Jay White Quarry, the primary saws cut them into slabs.
Slabs are then cut into curbing via an enormous hydraulic press called a splitter.
Slabs are then cut into curbing via an enormous hydraulic press called a splitter.
Joint saws with diamond teeth then trim the curbing, cutting most of the way through.
Joint saws with diamond teeth then trim the curbing, cutting most of the way through.
A sledgehammer is then employed to break off the cut sections. The bottom of the curb breaks to create a 45-degree angle. Chisels and other tools are used to hand finish the product if necessary.
A sledgehammer is then employed to break off the cut sections. The bottom of the curb breaks to create a 45-degree angle. Chisels and other tools are used to hand finish the product if necessary.
The Jay White Quarry
The Jay White Quarry
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